Weekend Homework

If you have not already done this, go download Puppy Linux and Damn Small Linux. The combined size will only be 110 MB, and you’ll have some amazing capabilites. After you’ve got them running, see how simple it is to install them onto a keydrive, or to have them load into memory so you can add programs, change settings, and then burn the results (using the now-free CD burner) to create your own custom LiveCD. One fun thing you could do is create a LiveCD which automatically boots up, loads any shared music directories on your network, and starts playing the songs in random order. Now you have a use for that Pentium 133 laptop that’s been sitting in your closet.

LiveCDs with Serious Eye Candy

Since there’s no LiveCD news today, I’m going to suggest everyone go download and try out Elive and GoblinX. Both LiveCDs focus on the Eye Candy factor of Linux desktops, and both do this well. Elive has Enlightenment E16 and E17, and GoblinX has 5 pre-tweaked desktop environments, including KDE, XFCE, Fluxbox, Windowmaker, and Enlightenment.

When you’re done, go vote for the LiveCD you think is the best for showing off Linux to your Windows and Mac friends.

Wired: Remix Now!

I received the latest issue of Wired and the biggest words on the cover, besides “WIRED”, was “REMIX NOW!”, indicating that this issue would be devoted to the huge amount of remixing the web has seen recently. It actually covered a lot more than I expected. There were many music and movie references, but it also included video games, writing, cars, shoes, ipods, etc. This got me to thinking, what else could be a remix, and it didn’t take long until I started thinking about LiveCDs. If any type of remix deserves a place in this issue of Wired, even just small box, it would have to be the Knoppix LiveCD. Being a derivative of Debian, Knoppix itself has easily over 100 derivatives, from bioknoppix to Whoppix. Knoppix also has credit given to it by Damn Small Linux, a LiveCD which weighs in at under 50 MB, and has several (six I think) derivatives itself. So, for example, one branch of this remix tree goes: GNU/Linux software -> Debian -> Knoppix -> Damn Small Linux -> ELE.

I now view this as a glaring omission from an otherwise great issue. Is Wired even aware of Knoppix? Why does a search for Knoppix on Wired’s website bring up zero hits? Isn’t the ability for anyone to remix an OS easily and distribute it to the world in a form that anyone can test out 5 minutes after downloading worthy of some kind of mention?

LiveCD Boot Benchmarks: Round 1, Popular LiveCDs

This article originally posted on frozentech.com on June 15th, 2005
One of the most obvious differences between a LiveCD and an operating system installed on a hard drive is the time it takes for the system to start. LiveCDs have the disadvantage of all CDs, easily being 15 times slower in both transfer and access speeds than standard hard drives. Even with this huge variation in speed, the average LiveCD does not take 15 times longer to boot than the same software installed to a hard drive. This article will provide an overview of the boot speeds of nine popular LiveCDs in several different configurations.
Continue reading “LiveCD Boot Benchmarks: Round 1, Popular LiveCDs”

New Site!

I’ve redone this LiveCD News. A custom written homepage with a phpBB backend, while fun, was a lot of work to maintain. WordPress is a much better idea. I’m not going to port the old stories over, but you can still view them at the LiveCD Forums.